nip takes a trip: paris, france

What’s up all you party people? So this is my second “nip goes on a trip” (travel) post! It’s even later than the last one… I’m on a roll! Last July, I was in France for Study Abroad with other students from the Honors College of my University. We were fortunate enough to stay at a dorm at Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris for an entire month. Throughout the month, we were based in Paris but took a few days every week to go to other places in France like Normandy, The Alps, Annecy, etc.

At the end of the summer, we had to get into small groups of 3-4 students and create a project about an assigned line of the metro. My group consisted of Daniela, and Beyssa, and me and we had to explore Ligne Deux (2) of the metro. We got off at a few stops and explored and got some great footage. We combined all of this and created this short video together. It captures the essence of the places on Ligne 2 and leaves you with a warm, fuzzy feeling because of the amazing song in the background 😉

I hope you guys enjoy and read the project description after watching 🙂

The metro ligne 2 starts in Porte Dauphine and ends in Nation, running from west to east, mostly along the northern part of Paris. The ligne was established in 1903, making it the second ligne opened in the Paris metro system. Every metropolitain sign on ligne 2 is of the Art Nouveau style, which was most popular from 1890-1910, revealing the age of the ligne. As the areas the stops are located in get more popular, the trains themselves transition from the classic RATP trains to more modern, renovated trains with air conditioning and bigger seats. Because of the fact that the ligne crosses through all of Paris horizontally, it passes through various neighborhoods, making the demographic of people who ride the ligne very diverse. The ligne can accommodate Africans from the Barbès area, to artists from the Montmartre area, and more affluent locals in the Charles de Gaulle area. Although it is one of the lesser busy lignes, used mostly by Parisians, it does welcome tourists who ride the ligne because of its many points of interest. Some of these include the Arc de Triomphe, Parc Monceau, Pigalle, the Moulin Rouge, the Sacre Coeur, and the Père Lachaise Cemetery. The most striking aspect of ligne 2 is the evident change in socio-economic status of the people who ride the train. In the western part of the ligne, the train passes through wealthier areas of Paris, close to the center, near the Arc de Triomphe. There, you can see people of a higher status getting on the train. As the train moves east, it passes through areas like Pigalle, famous for the Moulin Rouge, strips of erotic stores and cabaret shows. Here, the metro riders are of a lesser economic status than the ones in the east. In our video, you can see the diverse array of metro riders as well as the different moods in the different stops. For most of the ligne, the train carries a quieter tone, but as it heads east, it becomes livelier, and sometimes precarious. As we documented over and under Paris on the ligne 2 we observed the magic of the city. Once we went above and got off at Port Dauphine all the way to Nation, we captured the magic and essence of Paris – a city within a city that at every moment is changing and never the same. Part of the mystery and romantic feel to the city is this magic of unpredictability. We witnessed skateboarders, the elderly climbing up to the Sacre Coeur, carousels, different ethnicities in their colorful garb, mimes, and singers sharing their gifts. Raindrops falling against the windowpanes of Chinese eateries, people scurrying to and fro, streets that came alive with their twists and turns – images of Paris that can only be appreciated by experiencing them firsthand. The Over and Under project allowed us to measure and document our observations, as any scientific method should be followed. But the city of Paris allowed us to experience the mystical aspect that cannot be explained. We experienced a feeling that has transformed the way we look at this unique city by riding on ligne 2.

If your favorite part of the video wasn’t the kiss of the newlyweds whose photoshoot we crashed, then you DEF don’t have a heart :O Either that or it’s because your favorite part was when Daniela and I were on the carousel together 😛